


"Friendly" Rivalry

by nogood_nobody



Category: Sonic X, Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Flirting and insults are hard to differentiate, Knuckles will never say "No" to a fight, Rivals, Rouge is happy to oblige him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-31 23:12:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12692151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nogood_nobody/pseuds/nogood_nobody
Summary: Topaz slowly shook her head, “They’re an odd pair aren’t they?”Sonic chuckled, “Yeah. Just don’t let ‘em hear ya say that, or they’ll come after you instead.”It had been a long night of fighting, but one more clash between rivals couldn't hurt. And if they both had laughter bubbling up in their chests? Well, that was their business.





	"Friendly" Rivalry

Knuckles never thought a headache could last so long. At this point he was fairly certain it was the situation he found himself in more than the blow he suffered that was the cause of the headaches longevity. He had taken head-shots from Dr. Eggman’s robots before, and he always shook them off within the span of seconds to hours depending on the blow. But after one week, one destroyed badnik, one decapitated robot clone thief , one _actual_ thief cleared of charges, and one recovered Master Emerald, the headache only seemed worse.

With all the immediate problems taken care of, the guardian just wanted to get back to Angel Island and recover in peace. As Knuckles stared at the remains of Eggman’s destroyed robot-The Master Emerald and Moon Emerald gleaming brightly from its destroyed torso- He wondered if he could slip off with his gem before anyone tried to involve him in the post-battle congratulations and back-patting.

“Still here, Red? I must say I’m surprised,”

Someone up there hated him.

Bracing himself for a much different kind of battle, Knuckles turned to the voice with his customary scowl firmly in place. It was a look that would make most people turn tail and scurry in the other direction, fearful of the damage an angry guardian could inflict.

But Rouge the Bat was certainly not ‘most people’.

Every click of her heels was another nail in his headache.  Half-lidded eyes seemed to pinpoint this weakness. A teasing smirk was fully prepared to capitalize on it.

Rouge stopped a few feet from the glaring echidna, hand on her hip as she continued, “I would’ve thought you’d have grabbed that pretty Emerald of yours and been on your way a long time ago.” Rouge brought a finger to her chin, her hand leaving her hip to cup her elbow.

“Or were you just keeping an eye on it for me? I’d be more than happy to take it off your hands you know.” She winked, and Knuckles scowl only deepened.

Some things never changed. She may have sworn off thieving after joining GUN, but her obsession with jewels remained. The Master Emerald was still a much sought after addition to her collection, even if she no longer tried to actively steal it. Still, it seemed it was always worth trying her luck.

Snorting, Knuckles turned his back on the now softly chuckling bat and went to remove his emerald from its metal prison. He could feel the agitated pulsations coming from within, Chaos silently scolding him for failing his duty to protect the emerald he resided in.

It was better to just ignore Rouge sometimes, to hope she would storm off in a huff after realizing he wouldn’t play her game. On occasion, a verbal spar with her was almost fun-Not that he would ever admit it- but his pounding headache and sore body were enough to make him bite his tongue.

“It would make a good apology gift after all.”

...A what?

Damning her and his curiosity, Knuckles turned back towards the smiling thief, raising a tired eye ridge.

“What in Chaos’ name are you talking about, Batgirl?” Maybe he would have to play this game after all.

Closing her eyes and giving a half-shrug, Rouge sauntered past him, standing between Knuckles and the Master Emerald. Part of him wanted to move between them again, but he knew that was what she wanted: To see him squirm. Instead he simply crossed his arms and glared.

“I’m talking,” She said, tossing her head in the air. “About you owing me an apology.”

Knuckles barked out a disbelieving laugh, earning an offended glare from his rival.

“An apology for what? For charging you after you nearly cracked my skull open and stole the Master Emerald?”

“Except that it _wasn’t_ me, Knucklehead.” Said knucklehead growled, and she continued. “You falsely accused me of stealing that dazzling gem,” She started counting off on her fingers. “Nearly got me rounded up by Captain Cowboy over there,” She jerked her head over to the angry GUN agent who was still fuming over another foiled attempt to get the ‘animal freaks’ thrown in prison.

“And you tackled me through a wall. All over a simple misunderstanding! I’d say that warrants an apology. Wouldn’t you?” She finished, dropping her hands, one going to her hip as she shifted her weight to that side.

“I’d say I don’t owe you anything, bat,” Knuckles smirked, “Except maybe everything you just listed off. That was a long time coming.”

Knuckles was treading on thin ice now. He wasn’t in good enough condition for an all out brawl, which is what this was probably going to dissolve into, but it was worth it just to get under her skin. Rouge probably wasn’t in the best shape to fight either, but given the rather murderous look on her face, that probably wasn’t going to stop her.

“Ugh!” Rouge flung her hands in the air, shaking her head as she stormed passed the still smirking guardian. “I don’t even know why I bother trying with you. I hoped maybe that kick to the skull might have cleared up some brain space, but no! You’re as thick headed as ever.”

Well. He couldn’t let that stand. He was treading on thin ice before, what would happen if he started jumping on it?

“Ya know something, Batgirl? You’re right.” Knuckles closed his eyes with a small, mischievous smile as he heard the click of high-heels freeze. No doubt that had thrown her for a loop.

“I should have known that it wasn’t you.” The smile turned into a full-fledged grin. “After all, the _real_ you is nowhere _near_ good enough to land a hit like that on me.”

_Crack._

Knuckles could all but hear the proverbial ice gave way in time with the sharp beat of wings and enraged yell behind him. He quickly ducked down as Rouge soared heels first over his head, landing on the downed mech as she spun to face him, a snarl fit to match his own on her face.

With a challenging grin, Knuckles dove at her, headache all but forgotten. He would probably hate himself in the morning, but for now, he would have some fun.

In the distance, Sonic and Topaz watched on as the two treasure hunters clashed, landing punches and kicks as they darted around each other. Both were yelling insults between strikes-

“You hit like a girl!”

“I am a girl Knucklehead! What’s your excuse?”

“Why you little-!”

At the sound of a soft chuckle, Topaz glanced down at Sonic, eyes closed as he tittered away.

“Should...Should we do something here?” She asked.

“Nah,” Sonic shook his head, then jerked his chin back to the fighting duo, “Look.”

Topaz turned back to the brawl, straining her eyes to see through the darkness. Between strikes, she caught a glimpse of gleaming teeth from the rivals. At first, she had written them off as unruly snarls, but she now saw that she was wrong. They weren’t the bared teeth of a challenge, but of joy. The grins were edged with steel, and taunts and insults spilled from them, but they were there nonetheless.

“It’s kinda their thing,” Sonic laughed. “They’ll wear themselves out eventually.”

Topaz slowly shook her head, now watching the fight with a small smile. “They’re an odd pair aren’t they?”

Sonic chuckled, “Yeah. Just don’t let ‘em hear ya say that, or they’ll come after _you_ instead.”

Topaz recalled the duo breaking down a solid steel door with their combined strength and cringed. No. Best to keep the jokes private. At least until she got Rouge alone.

“Hey! That was a cheap-shot, Batgirl!”

“All’s fair in love and war, Knuckie!”

And oh, what jokes there would be.


End file.
